Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the debate and thank Senators Katherine Zappone, Feargal Quinn and others for their work on the consultation paper, the launch of which I was happy to attend on Friday last. In today's edition of the Irish Examiner Michael Clifford comments on the launch of the paper and states:

But wait, all is not lost. The Government is serious about one particular reform. The great unwashed can rest assured that they will be given the opportunity to rid themselves of the Seanad. This move can act as a perfect repository for the anger and frustration abroad at the political system. In pubs and clubs, and wherever citizens gather, they will pause in the depths of anger, and sigh that at least Kenny got rid of that goddamn talking shop.
That is what Enda Kenny and his cabinet must be hoping for, at least. For instead of real reform ? divesting supreme power from the executive, elevating the role of parliament, looking at the electoral system ? the mar dhea version will be available. Abolishing the Seanad will be sold as a "radical reform", when actually, if it does happen, it will represent nothing more than an attempt to distract from a redundant agenda of reform.

I have never met Mr. Clifford, but what he has to say indicates what a journalist can see when looking in from the outside.

I have no intention of being disparaging, but there is absolutely no doubt that the Taoiseach failed to carry out in-depth analysis before deciding - by means of a knee-jerk reaction at a Fine Gael function held prior to the general election - to announce his intention to abolish the Seanad. It is difficult for him to row back from the position he has adopted. Of course, getting rid of the Seanad has proved popular with the other parties because there is a view that doing so will solve the various problems. The part of the Oireachtas which is in most need of reform is the Dáil. The commitment to reduce the number of Deputies by eight at the next general election is only tinkering at the edges. The Dáil and local authorities require full and proper reform, but it appears sight is being lost of that fact.

My party's current position is that it is opposed to the abolition of the Seanad, particularly as the Government has failed to introduce real reform in other areas. It is my view that abolishing the Seanad should not be seen as the means by which overall reform of the Houses of the Oireachtas might be achieved. The Fianna Fáil Senators met in an attempt to put together a paper on the direction we believe should be taken in this matter and also to formally oppose the abolition of the Seanad. We recommend that a formal system of public consultation be put in place in the Seanad in order that interested groups might have an input into legislation. I compliment the Leader on the efforts he has already made in this regard. We should, perhaps, be making greater progress in this regard, but I accept that the lack of financial support for the relevant committee may be hampering matters.

Fianna Fáil recommends that the Seanad be given a new role in respect of European affairs. A substantial amount of legislation which affects the citizens of this country comes from the European Union. In recent times, for example, in excess of 90% of directives from and legislation initiated in the European Union seems to have either supplanted or overlapped with domestic legislation. As a result, the Seanad should be given an enhanced role in the scrutiny of EU legislative proposals.

The Fianna Fáil Senators also made an interesting recommendation in respect of senior public appointments. Embarrassing scenarios such as that last year could be avoided if the Seanad was assigned responsibility for scrutinising the appointment of senior public servants. Why should this not be the case? The Seanad would be well capable of engaging in such scrutiny.

Fianna Fáil also recommends that two or three Members of the Seanad, including the Leader, for example, should be able to attend meetings of the Cabinet. There is a precedent for this and a number of Members of this House were very successfully appointed to the Cabinet in the past. The document produced by Senators Katherine Zappone and Feargal Quinn and their colleagues, Seanad Éireann: Open It, Don't Close It, is worthy of a full debate. It beggars belief that in establishing the constitutional convention the Taoiseach and the Cabinet failed to include for consideration and debate one of the three anchors, namely, the Seanad, the others being the Dáil and the Executive, which hold our system of democracy together. That was a huge mistake because, whether by accident or design, the convention will be able to sidestep engaging in a debate on one of the most important institutions of the State. If abolishing the Seanad is put to the people in a referendum, that referendum will succeed. If that eventuality comes to pass, the Taoiseach will, when the history of this period is written, be condemned for removing one of the most important democratic institutions of the State. If the Seanad is abolished, I hope he will live to regret it. Abolishing the Seanad would be a massive mistake. Members must be aware of the fact that, in many ways, we are going to allow that mistake to be made.